Quality Checking

Each lot of tea must be sampled before it is allowed to leave the factory on its way to the customer. The freshly made tea is carefully measured out and brewed up in special cups made specially for sampling. The visual appearance of the leaves is checked before the actual tasting begins.

Here the teas are all brewed and ready to taste. The brewed leaves are set on top of the brewing cups so that their colour and aroma can be observed.

The fresh tea has been poured into white cups so that the tasting can begin.

Aroma plays a major role in the sense of taste. The tester inhales the bouquet of the freshly brewed tea before he tastes it. Typically he will swirl the tea in his mouth without swallowing and then spit it out to avoid becoming waterlogged.

Here is a view from above showing the loose tea leaves in wooden tea caddies, the brewed infusion, and the already brewed leaves. Note how the white cups make it easy to judge the colour of the freshly brewed tea.